DOMINUS EST!

Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 5: 27 – 32. 40 – 41 / Ps 30 / Rv 5: 11 – 14 / Jn 21: 1 – 19 or 1 –  14

“Where do broken hearts go? Can they find their way home?” asks the late Whitney Houston. When you lose a loved one, where do you go? When your friend became a traitor, where did you go? At kung pinaasa ka lang ng iyong minamahal na may forever pero wala pala, where do you go? Usually, when things are no longer bright and clear, we go back to our old way of life.

This is the case of Peter and the other disciples. Since Jesus, their Teacher, was no longer with them, they went back to their old way of life. Since Jesus, their Master, was no longer teaching, they went back to fishing, their original livelihood. Simon Peter said, “I am going fishing.” They replied, “We also will come with you.” Indeed, it was a life without Christ. However, despite their skill, they caught nothing all night. When it was dawn, Jesus standing on the shore gave them an instruction to cast their net on the right side of the boat. But him they did not recognize, not after that big catch, and the disciple whom Jesus loved recognize him and said, “Dominus est!” (It is the Lord!)

From the Gospel, we learn that living a life without God is nothing. Without God, our net of life catches nothing. However, living a life with God means filling our boats with a big catch. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that “if we let Christ enter into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful, and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed.”

My dear friends, in life, when things become vague and life seem ordinary and routine, we easily fall out of love. Now that the Semana Santa is over and summer has begun, we go back to our old life. After having gone through Confession, now we go back to doing again and again our favorite sins. However, let us remind ourselves today that living a life without God is nothing.

This is our challenge: that we recognize the presence of the Lord amidst the ordinariness of life. That like John, we can also say, “Dominus est! It is the Lord!” Because to recognize him means having a big catch, fullness of life! Let us always remember that since the Lord has risen, he is already beyond time and space. Therefore, he is present not only every Semana Santa, but in every day of our lives. However, it is not enough to only recognize the Lord in our lives, as Christians, we should also become instruments, or witnesses for others to see the Lord in their lives. Kana ganing kung makakita sila nato makaingon sila, “It is the Lord!” Dili unta nga kung makakita sila nato makapanguros sila niya moingon pa gyud, “Sus naana na sad ang panuway!” (That similar situation that when they see us – how we carry ourselves in the things we say and do -- they can say, “It is the Lord!” Hopefully it is not the other situation, that upon seeing us – how we carry ourselves in the things we say and do -- they make the sign of the cross and exclaim: “Here is the devil once more.)

A story of a madre and Manong Estrelitto became viral in social media after the madre posted one of her experiences in Facebook. After the Visita Iglesia during the last 51^st IEC, the madre took a taxi back to her convent near Harisson Plaza. However, the road was getting dark and winding and so the madre reminded the driver that she is going to Harisson Plaza. And it was only there that the driver admitted his fault. He, all the while thought that the madre was going to Radisson Hotel. Admitting his fault, he turned the meter back to zero and went to Harisson Plaza. But the story did not end there. Upon disembarking at her destination, Manong Estrelitto did not accept the madre’s payment. “Sister, huwag na po. Tulong ko na po sa misyon ninyo (Never mind Sister, please accept it as my help in your mission)” But the sister insisted, “Manong, you need this for your family.” But again the driver said, “Hindi po ako makakasali sa IEC, at wala naman akong maibibigay na iba. Yan na lang po ang contribution ko para sa IEC (Since I cannot participate in the IEC, and there is nothing I can contribute to the event, please accept it as my contribution to the IEC)”

My dear friends, on the one hand, Manong Estrelitto recognized the presence of God amidst his ordinary life as a taxi driver. On the other hand, Manong Estrelitto became the madre’s reminder of God’s presence amidst the ordinary.

Now, “Where do broken hearts go? Can you find your way home? Can you recognize God in the ordinary scheme of things? Life without God is nothing. But a life with God is everything. Find him. See him in the ordinary. He is there and it is the Lord! Amen.